Cultural Shift Conference, August 2017
Along with 300 other delegates, I attended a two-day Cultural Shift: from settlement to belonging conference last week at Sydney Olympic Park. It was a cross sector conference organised by Settlement Services International about migrant and refugee families. Delegates included a mix of government and community sector representatives and academics, all mingling and sharing ideas. The conference…
What is Refugee Mentoring?
Refugee Mentoring (also known as be-friending) is where a trained community volunteer is linked with a refugee or a refugee family. The intention is to develop a close personal relationship and at its best a loyal and long-term friendship. It is an embodied and relational process with an emphasis on a reciprocal relationship. Typically mentors…
The meaning of welcome
With 12,000 Syrian refugees coming to Australia in the next year or two it is timely to reflect on how communities can best assist settlement and integration. While Australia is renowned for its world-class settlement services there are limited opportunities for local people to mix and help refugees settle and integrate. An important concept is welcome.…
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